In conventional insulated cabinet constructions the various components making up the cabinet are rigidly attached to each other, usually by continuous welds along their contacting surfaces. To insure that the components are positioned properly with respect to each other a great deal of care must be taken during the welding process, usually requiring that the parts be positioned by jigs at each welding step to insure any deviation of the components from their desired positions relative to each other falls within fairly close tolerances. Obviously this is a very time consuming process and appreciably increases the cost of the resulting cabinet.
More recently, cabinet constructions have been proposed wherein precision welding of all of the components is eliminated and the hardenable insulating material generally associated with cabinets of this type relied upon, not only for its insulating properties, but to structurally interconnect the cabinet components. Assemblies of this type are shown in French Pat. No. 1,362,178, allowed Apr. 20, 1964 and published in French Official Gazette No. 22 of 1964; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,948,407 and 3,948,410.
In the above noted French patent the desired positional relationships between the components of the cabinet are apparently attained in some manner by use of an appropriate supporting mold. In the two U.S. patents the outer shell of the cabinet of each is formed of a one-piece wrap around construction which is held on a base, an inner liner inserted in the outer shell and insulating material foamed between the outer shell and the inner liner.
Thus, in more recent prior art cabinet constructions a supporting mold of some type which is capable of holding each of the various cabinet components in position while insulating material is foamed between them must be utilized, or a sheet of steel or the like of rather substantial size must first be formed into a one-piece, wrap around type outer shell.